In the installation of a prosthetic shoulder joint into a patient's body, a glenoid component is implanted into the glenoid vault of the patient's scapula. An obverse surface of the glenoid component is configured for articulating contact with a humeral component carried by the patient's humerus. A reverse surface of the glenoid component is secured to the bone surface of the glenoid vault. A shoulder arthroplasty can be either “primary” (where the humeral component is the “ball” and the glenoid component is the “socket” in the articulating relationship) or “reverse” (where the glenoid component is the “ball” and the humeral component is the “socket” in the articulating relationship).
Because a shoulder prosthesis is normally provided to correct a congenital or acquired defect of the native shoulder joint, the glenoid vault often exhibits a pathologic, nonstandard anatomic configuration, such as by exhibiting cavitary bone loss. One attribute of shoulder repair surgery is the rather limited volume of anatomical, “healthy” bone in the glenoid to provide sturdy anchorage for the glenoid component. This problem may be exacerbated in a revision surgery, where removing the original prosthetic component may result in additional damage to, or loss of, the underlying bone.